Dennis Rader

By: Stephanie Leif

The BTK Killer

Background Info.• Born March 9, 1945 in Pittsburg, Kansas• Oldest of four sons• As a child he tortured animals and he had a sexual

fetish for women’s underwear• Attended Butler County Community College and

Kansas Wesleyan University • He later attained his bachelor’s degree in

Administration of Justice• Spent four years in the U.S. Air Force

What was the crime?• He killed 10 people

When did it take place?• All of his killings took place between 1974-1991• He was not charged with murder until February

28, 2005

Who were the victims?– Joseph Otero (January 15, 1974)– Julie Otero (January 15, 1974)– Joseph Otero JR. (January 15, 1974)– Josephine Otero (January 15, 1974)– Kathryn Bright (April 4, 1974)– Shirley Vian (March 17, 1977)– Nancy Fox (December 8, 1977)– Marine Hedge (April 27, 1985)– Vicki Wegerle (September 16, 1986)– Dolores E. Davis (January 16, 1991)

Why did he do it?• Ever since Rader was a child he had fantasies

about binding, torturing, and killing women• He claims that there is an unavoidable force

that makes him do things, he calls it ‘Factor X’• Rader also believes he is possessed by demons

How did he get caught?• When people started forgetting about the BTK killer Rader started

sending letters to the victims families and news stations in the area• On February 16, 2005 he sent a floppy disk to KSAS-TV

– Police found embedded information that was erased from the disk, one of the documents was named “Dennis” and another was named “Christ Lutheran Church”

– Rader was unaware that police could find this information even if it appeared to be erased

• Police searched Christ Lutheran Church for Dennis, and Dennis Rader came up

• The police gathered evidence and DNA samples from his family members

• They linked Rader to the murders and he was taken into custody on February 25, 2005

What psychological disorder did he have?• Rader is considered a psychopath– Psychopath: a person who is incapable of empathy

for other beings– This person has no problems hurting others, no

guilt, shame, or remorse

What sentence did he get?• Rader was sentenced to life imprisonment

with no parole for 175 years– Equal to 10 consecutive life sentences

Article• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8929452/ns/

us_news-crime_and_courts/t/who-btk-killer/

Videos• http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXa_YreEFEs• http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C6Gi3hzNCA

Work Cited• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Rader • http://dennisraderbtk.blogspot.com/• http://

www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/02/btk.investigation/index.html

• http://www.freewebs.com/thebtksite/btkvictim.htm

• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8929452/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/who-btk-killer/

THE END